ODET 2010: Mark Snaith & Chris Reed - OVA & Arvina

At the University of Dundee's Argumentation Research Group, we are working on online tools for argument analysis and mixed-initiative argumentation.

OVA stands for "Online Visualisation of Argument" and is a tool that allows arguments in web pages to be analysed. These arguments can be attributed to "owners", allowing the knowledge and opinions of individuals to be captured in a structured fashion.

Arvina is a gadget developed for Google Wave which reads analyses generated in OVA, and generates virtual participants based on the "owners" of the arguments. Real users can then ask questions of these participants, with answers being generated from the acquired knowledge, before stating whether or not they agree with the answer and giving a reason why.

Together, these tools capture the ability to take static arguments and opinions, and present them in a way that allows for a more natural interaction; that is, instead of someone reading an argument and responding at the end, they can respond to points as they are made.